The Science of Early Childhood Development - Center on the Developing ...

The Science of

Early Childhood

Development

Closing the Gap Between

What We Know and What We Do

Council Members

Jack P. Shonkoff, M.D., Chair

Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor

of Child Health and Development

Director, Center on the Developing Child,

Harvard University

W. Thomas Boyce, M.D.

Sunny Hill Health Centre/BC Leadership

Chair in Child Development

Professor, Graduate Studies and Medicine,

University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Judy Cameron, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh

Senior Scientist, Oregon National

Primate Research Center

Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience

and Obstetrics & Gynecology,

Oregon Health and Science University

Greg Duncan, Ph.D.

Edwina S. Tarry Professor of Human

Development and Social Policy

Faculty Fellow, Institute for Policy Research,

Northwestern University

Nathan A. Fox, Ph.D.

Professor of Human Development,

University of Maryland College Park

William Greenough, Ph.D.

Swanlund Professor of Psychology, Psychiatry,

and Cell and Developmental Biology

Director, Center for Advanced Study at

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Megan Gunnar, Ph.D.

Regents Professor and Distinguished

McKnight University Professor,

Institute of Child Development,

University of Minnesota

Eric Knudsen, Ph.D.

Edward C. and Amy H. Sewall

Professor of Neurobiology,

Stanford University School of Medicine

Charles A. Nelson, Ph.D.

Richard David Scott Chair in Pediatric

Developmental Medicine Research,

Children¡¯s Hospital Boston

Professor of Pediatrics,

Harvard Medical School

Deborah Phillips, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology and Associated

Faculty, Public Policy Institute

Co-Director, Research Center

on Children in the U.S.,

Georgetown University

Ross Thompson, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology,

University of California, Davis

Contributing Members

Susan Nall Bales

President, FrameWorks Institute

James J. Heckman, Ph.D.

Henry Schultz Distinguished

Service Professor of Economics,

University of Chicago

Bruce S. McEwen, Ph.D.

Alfred E. Mirsky Professor

Head, Harold and Margaret Milliken Hatch

Laboratory of Neuroendocrinology,

The Rockefeller University

Arthur J. Rolnick, Ph.D.

Senior Vice President and Director of Research,

Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis

Council Partners

The FrameWorks Institute

The Johnson & Johnson Pediatric Institute

Pat Levitt, Ph.D.

Professor of Pharmacology

Annette Schaffer Eskind Chair and

Director, Kennedy Center for Research

on Human Development,

Vanderbilt University

The National Conference of State Legislatures

Betsy Lozoff, M.D.

Professor of Pediatrics, University of

Michigan Medical School

Research Professor, Center for

Human Growth and Development,

University of Michigan

The Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Fund

Council Sponsors

The Buffett Early Childhood Fund

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Suggested citation: The Science of Early Childhood Development. (2007)

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child.

? January 2007 NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL ON THE DEVELOPING CHILD

Second Printing¡ªNovember 2007

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Executive Summary

T

he future of any society depends on its ability to foster the health and well-being of the next

generation. Stated simply, today¡¯s children will become tomorrow¡¯s citizens, workers, and parents. When we invest wisely in children and families, the next generation will pay that back

through a lifetime of productivity and responsible citizenship. When we fail to provide children with what they need to build a strong foundation for healthy and productive lives, we put our

future prosperity and security at risk.

Two recent developments have stimulated growing public discussion about

the right balance between individual and shared responsibility for that strong

foundation. The first is the explosion of research in neurobiology that clarifies the extent to which the interaction between genetics and early experience

literally shapes brain architecture. The second is the increasingly recognized

need for a highly skilled workforce and healthy adult population to confront

the growing challenges of global economic competition and the rising costs of

Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for the aging baby boomers.

In an effort to identify those aspects of development that are accepted broadly by the scientific community, the National Scientific Council, based at the

Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, brought together

several of the nation¡¯s leading neuroscientists, developmental psychologists,

pediatricians, and economists. This document presents their critical review

of the existing literatures in their fields and a consensus about what we now

know about development in the early childhood years. The objective of the Council is to move beyond

the public¡¯s fascination with ¡°the latest study¡± and focus on the cumulative knowledge of decades of research that has been subjected to rigorous and continuous peer review. The goal of this document is to

help the public and its policy makers understand the core principles of that body of work that are now

sufficiently accepted across the scientific community to warrant public action.

It is our hope and belief that better public understanding of the rapidly growing science of early

childhood and early brain development can provide a powerful impetus for the design and implementation of policies and programs that could make a significant difference in the lives of all children. Without that understanding, investments that could generate significant returns for all of society stand the

risk of being rejected or undermined. Thus, there is a compelling need for scientists to share with the

public and its representatives an objective basis for choosing wisely among competing demands on limited resources.

This paper is designed to provide a framework within which this complex challenge can be addressed

most effectively. Its goal is to promote an understanding of the basic science of early childhood development, including its underlying neurobiology, to inform both public and private sector investment in

young children and their families. To this end, the paper presents a set of core developmental concepts

that have emerged from decades of rigorous research in neurobiology, developmental psychology, and

the economics of human capital formation, and considers their implications for a range of issues in policy and practice.

Core Concepts of Development

??Child development is a foundation for community development and economic development, as capable

children become the foundation of a prosperous and sustainable society.

??Brains are built over time.

??The interactive influences of genes and experience literally shape the architecture of the developing brain,

and the active ingredient is the ¡°serve and return¡± nature of children¡¯s engagement in relationships with

their parents and other caregivers in their family or community.



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??Both brain architecture and developing abilities are built ¡°from the bottom up,¡± with simple circuits

and skills providing the scaffolding for more advanced circuits and skills over time.

??Toxic stress in early childhood is associated with persistent effects on the nervous system and stress

hormone systems that can damage developing brain architecture and lead to lifelong problems in

learning, behavior, and both physical and mental health.

??Creating the right conditions for early childhood development is likely to be more effective and less

costly than addressing problems at a later age.

Implications for Policy and Practice

??Policy initiatives that promote supportive relationships and rich

learning opportunities for young children create a strong foundation for higher school achievement followed by greater productivity

in the workplace and solid citizenship in the community.

??Substantial progress toward this goal can be achieved by assuring

growth-promoting experiences both at home and in communitybased settings, through a range of parent education, family support,

early care and education, preschool, and intervention services.

??When parents, informal community programs, and professionally

staffed early childhood services pay attention to young children¡¯s

emotional and social needs, as well as to their mastery of literacy and

cognitive skills, they have maximum impact on the development of

sturdy brain architecture and preparation for success in school.

??When basic health and early childhood programs monitor the development of all children, problems that require attention can be

identified in a timely fashion and intervention can be provided.

??The basic principles of neuroscience and the technology of human

skill formation indicate that later remediation for highly vulnerable children will produce less favorable outcomes and cost more

than appropriate intervention at a younger age.

??The essence of quality in early childhood services is embodied in the expertise and skills of the staff

and in their capacity to build positive relationships with young children. The striking shortage of welltrained personnel in the field today indicates that substantial investments in training, recruiting, compensating, and retaining a high quality workforce must be a top priority.

??Responsible investments in services for young children and their families focus on benefits relative

to cost. Inexpensive services that do not meet quality standards are a waste of money. Stated simply,

sound policies seek maximum value rather than minimal cost.

The need to address significant inequalities in opportunity, beginning in the earliest years of life, is

both a fundamental moral responsibility and a critical investment in our nation¡¯s social and economic future. Thus, the time has come to close the gap between what we know (from systematic scientific inquiry

across a broad range of disciplines) and what we do (through both public and private sector policies and

practices) to promote the healthy development of all young children. The science of early childhood development can provide a powerful framework for informing sound choices among alternative priorities

and for building consensus around a shared plan of action. The well-being of our nation¡¯s children and

the security of its future would be well-served by such wise choices and concerted commitment.



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The Science of

Early Childhood Development

T

he future of any society depends on its ability to foster the health and well-being of the next

generation. Stated simply, today¡¯s children will become tomorrow¡¯s citizens, workers, and

parents. When we fail to provide children with what they need to build a strong foundation for healthy and productive lives, we

put our future prosperity and security at risk.

Science has a lot to offer about how we as a community can use our collective resources most effectively and

efficiently to build that strong foundation. When we invest wisely in children and families, the next generation

will pay that back through a lifetime of productivity and

responsible citizenship. When we do not make wise investments in the earliest years, we will all pay the considerable costs of greater numbers of school-aged children who need special education and more adults who

are under-employable, unemployable, or incarcerated.

Two recent developments have stimulated growing

public discussion about the right balance between individual and shared responsibility for child well-being.

The first is the explosion of research in neuroscience

and other developmental sciences that highlights the

extent to which the interaction between genetics and

early experience creates either a sturdy or weak foundation for all the learning, behavior, and health that

follow. The second is the increasingly recognized need for a highly skilled workforce and healthy adult

population to confront the growing challenges of global economic competition and the rising costs of

Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for the aging baby boomers.

Most policy makers who face decisions among competing actions lack both the time and means to

secure sound scientific advice about which investments offer the greatest potential value and what program elements are critical to their effectiveness. Those same policy makers must explain their decisions

to business executives and civic leaders who hold a wide range of beliefs about child-rearing and developmental influences. Without better public understanding of the science of early childhood and brain

development, policies and programs that could make

a significant difference in the lives of children and all

of society stand the risk of being rejected or undermined. Thus, there is a compelling need to educate

the public and its representatives about how to choose

wisely among competing demands.

For some, the most important decisions focus on the

allocation of resources among alternative approaches

defined by need (e.g., universal versus targeted investments) or age (e.g., pre-K for four-year-olds versus parent support programs beginning at birth). Others move quickly to questions about the relative merits of different program models. Some are interested

primarily in the results of benefit-cost analyses. Others view the reduction of inequalities in opportunity

When we invest wisely in

children and families, the next

generation will pay that back

through a lifetime of productivity

and responsible citizenship.



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